Text Size

DoD TO GET A BUDGET? With sequestration a reality, defense watchers are now eyeing the budget battle set to unfold this week on Capitol Hill. It could be the Pentagon’s last, best chance to get a 2013 spending plan — and to avoid a full-year continuing resolution. Today, House Republicans are unveiling an appropriations bill that would restore about $7 billion to the military’s operations and maintenance accounts, POLITICO’s David Rogers reports.

“That’s the bottom line driving a hybrid spending bill to be unveiled Monday and intended to replace the stopgap continuing resolution or CR due to expire March 27,” Roger writes. “The measure will keep in place the overall spending reduction known as the sequester ordered Friday. But in the case of the Defense Department, it substitutes an updated full-year budget that shifts money to address the GOP’s great Achilles’ heel: the serious danger to military readiness if the standoff with President Barack Obama drags on for months.” More here: http://bit.ly/XCUJNa

HAPPY MONDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE. A big salute to POLITICO Pro’s Tim Mak for filling in on Friday while we were away. Keep the tips and feedback coming to awright@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter @morningdefense, @abwrig and @POLITICOPro.

TODAY: BIDEN TO SPEAK AT AIPAC — Vice President Joe Biden is set to address the the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference at 10:15 a.m. The event is being held at the Washington Convention Center.

THE WEEK AHEAD — HASC and SASC have several oversight hearings lined up this week as the two committees begin laying the groundwork for the 2014 defense authorization bill. HASC will hold meetings on Central Command, Pacific Command and the nuclear deterrent, among others (full schedule: http://1.usa.gov/14iKr5J). And SASC will hold meetings on Central Command, Special Operations Command, Africa Command and Transportation Command (schedule: http://1.usa.gov/15shl6o).

ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR: Tomorrow, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is hosting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon. “The secretary wanted to make sure that Minister Barak was one of the very first meetings he had after he took office,” a defense official tells Foreign Policy’s Kevin Baron. http://atfp.co/12h5avl

REAL WORLD: NAVY GROUNDS AIRCRAFT, CANCELS DEPLOYMENTS — Four air wings are being grounded and eight ship deployments are being nixed as the Navy braces for sequestration and the possibility of a full-year CR, Navy Times reports. “We must endeavor to deal with the situation as we face it, not as we wish it could otherwise be,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a weekend memo. More here: http://bit.ly/Vq0pM2

THUNDERBIRDS SILENCED — The Blue Angels aren’t the only flight demonstration squad facing the budget ax. The Air Force Thunderbirds are canceling all but one of their 2013 shows. From the Thunderbird website: “The implementation of across-the-board cuts in federal spending has caused the curtailment of the Thunderbirds 2013 show schedule. Effective April 1, all of the team’s performances have been canceled. The team still plans to perform at the Titusville, Fla., air show March 23-24.” (salute: Darren Samuelsohn)

FOR DEFENSE LOBBY, A MOMENT OF TRUTH — The powerful defense lobby failed to head off sequestration, the latest sign of its waning influence on Capitol Hill. According to Roll Call’s Eliza Newlin Carney, several factors are to blame: infighting among contractors, the ban on earmarks and the rise of fiscal conservatism within the GOP. More here: http://bit.ly/VXzeap

LOCKHEED MARTIN STILL WAITING ON WARN NOTICES — The defense company says it’s waiting for more information on the impacts of sequestration before issuing layoff warnings to its employees. “We’ll await further guidance from our customers and, if warranted, will provide affected employees the full notice period required by the WARN Act for covered layoff activity at the appropriate time,” the company said in a statement. “We are working closely with our customers to understand how sequestration will impact our programs.”

TOP TALKER — NEWSWEEK COVER STORY: “The tragedy of John Allen & the Petraeus scandal,” by Daniel Klaidman — “When [John Allen] returned to Washington last month, even his closest aides believed he might still accept his promotion. But in the weeks leading up to his decision, [his wife] Kathy’s health had taken a dramatic turn for the worse, including multiple emergency-room visits, likely brought on by stress. So at age 59, after a brilliant 41-year career in the Marines, he decided to hang up his boots.” Full story: http://thebea.st/ZOhIJ7

MAKING MOVES:

— OBAMA TO NOMINATE BURWELL TO HEAD OMB: This morning, the president will announce his pick for OMB director: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, president of the Walmart Foundation and deputy director of OMB during the Clinton administration. POLITICO’s Jennifer Epstein has more: http://politi.co/1018tp6

— GORDON JOINS W.H. NATIONAL SECURITY STAFF: Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, is heading to the White House to be the administration’s coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region. He starts March 11. http://politi.co/14dORuN

SPEED READ:

— Biden is poised to expand his role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the president’s second term, according to The New York Times, which notes that the White House continually relies on Biden’s close ties to world leaders. http://nyti.ms/WCIF1J

— In an interview, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Britain’s Sunday Times he’s unwilling to contemplate going into exile. “No patriotic person will think about living outside his country,” he said. http://thetim.es/VnB2KU

— The Air Force is planning to buy an extended range version of the MQ-9 Reaper, which “will be one of the few new starts in the 2014 budget request due to Congress this month,” Defense News reports. http://bit.ly/13AAO6U

— More than 700 service members had their homes wrongfully foreclosed during the housing crisis, the NYT reports. http://nyti.ms/XQFA94

STOCKWATCH — Here’s how the top five U.S. defense contractors performed over the last five trading days, compared to the NYSE composite:

DESSERT: SEQUESTER GETS THE SNL TREATMENT — On Saturday Night Live, an Obama impersonator (Jay Pharoah) explains the sequester in human terms. Among other things, the cuts will force Michelle Obama to do just four TV appearances per week, according to SNL, “down from her usual 75.” And the the National Zoo will have to fire three monkeys — “We’re just gonna let 'em loose in the city,” a zookeeper says.

But never fear: In nine months, nobody will even remember the sequester, the Obama impersonator says. Why? Because we’ll be facing a “way worse” financial crisis. Watch the skit here: http://huff.to/ZZKTce

THAT’S ALL FOR US. Have a great Monday.

** WANT MORE NEWS? For breaking news and customized alerts on defense, energy, financial services, health care, tax, technology and transportation throughout the day, you should GO PRO. With sector-specific coverage, early-bird editions of POLITICO's must-read morning newsletters, customized instant alerts sent to your mobile device and special subscriber-only events, you won’t miss a beat. See what you've been missing: www.politicopro.com **